


Lugar Sortudo

by damaged_danzy



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Birthday, Cute, Fluff, M/M, Real Madrid CF, Romance, Secret Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2017-02-06
Packaged: 2018-09-22 08:33:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9596672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/damaged_danzy/pseuds/damaged_danzy
Summary: Cristiano gets a birthday present from a (not so) secret admirer.





	

Cristiano walked out of the shower, feeling fresh and rejuvenated after a long practice. With just a towel slung around his waist, Cristiano walked to his locker and saw that there was a box. Not just any box, but a birthday present. It was wrapped in bright yellow paper with red and blue bows wrapped around it. Cristiano looked around; he was the only person in the locker room. He sat down and picked the box up, checking for a nametag to see who it was from, but there was nothing except a little card that said Cristiano in messy handwriting. The handwriting seems vaguely familiar, but Cristiano couldn’t think of whose it was.

He pulled the ribbons and lifted the lid off the box. Pushing the paper away, he found a note that said:

_Meet me tonight at the Lugar Sortudo at 8. I know today is your birthday and I understand if you want the night to yourself, but I know that your birthday party isn’t ‘till tomorrow, so I figured you would want to do something special tonight. I would love it if you came. Sorry that I’m not telling you who this is from, but I was so nervous that I knew I couldn’t ask you in public. I’m already tongue-tied enough and I would have just been a mess. But please, make time for me tonight. You won’t regret it.’_

It was signed _–Besos_.

Under the note was a red tie with a gold embellishment at the bottom. Lifting it up, Cristiano thought it was nice looking. It was definitely something that he would have picked out himself.

Cristiano was intrigued. It had to be somebody on the team because the staff members never came to the locker room. Cristiano looked at his watch. It was almost six o’clock. With nothing better to do, Cristiano decided to meet his secret gift giver. He was ninety-nine percent sure that it was somebody he knew, so he wasn’t too worried about it being a stranger. Cristiano just couldn’t believe that one of his own teammates was too nervous to talk to him face to face. The line about being tongue-tied resonated with him, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. 

Dropping his towel and pulling on some sweats, Cristiano grabbed his training bag and headed to his car. He quickly drove to his house, got dressed, and still had thirty minutes left. 

Cristiano swore those were the most nerve wracking thirty minutes. He hadn’t even been nervous until he pulled up to the Lugar Sortudo. He looked around to see if there were any cars he recognized, but the parking lot was empty. Cristiano knew that he was at the right place, because Lugar Sortudo was his favorite Portuguese inspired restaurant in all of Madrid. He had been there hundreds of times, but this time was different. Wiping the sweat off his palms, Cristiano unbuckled his seatbelt. He looked in the mirror and made sure there were no imperfections on his face or in his hair. Satisfied, Cristiano took a deep breath and walked out of his car. He smoothed out his new tie and loosened his collar up a little. He locked his car and made his way to the front door. 

He walked in, suspecting that someone would jump out at him. He did ponder the thought of a surprise birthday party, but he knew that his birthday party was tomorrow, so that would be redundant. Instead, a waitress came up to him.

“Hi,” she said with a wide smile. “You must be Cristiano. Here follow me.” 

She didn’t give him time to think or talk. Not that he knew what to say anyway. He followed her, the restaurant lights seeming dimmer than usual. It was then he realized that there was nobody else there. All the tables and booths were vacant, there were no waiters walking around, and the usual whiff of delicious food was absent. Cristiano’s stomach did a flip; what was he walking into?

He stopped walking. “Is this a joke?”

The waitress stopped, turned around to him, and frowned. “No. Why would you think that? There is a guest waiting all the way in the back for you.”

Cristiano pondered this. The back was where special reservations were made. “You’re sure?”

The waitress nodded, her blonde curls bouncing. “Just follow me sir, we’re almost there.”

They continued walking between the tables when it suddenly hit Cristiano. He saw the back of his mysterious gift sender and Cristiano felt his knees go weak.

Something about this was so tender, so private.

Cristiano hadn’t even noticed that the waitress had quietly excused herself. All he saw was the table lit with a candle and adorned with rose petals. There was a bottle of sparkling water, Cristiano gracious that it wasn’t alcohol. The person seemed oblivious to Cristiano being there. He didn’t know whether to say hi, cough, or make a joke. It’s like his mind went blank.

He finally went with his gut. He walked up to the person and put his hand on their shoulder. “Hey, I’m here.”

The other person jumped in surprise and turned around to see him.

Sitting there with his mouth wide open and eyes full of happiness was James. “You’re here! Oh my god, you’re really here.”

Cristiano was just as shocked as him. He took the seat across James and sat down. “You sent me the note?” He reached down and held up his tie. “And this?”

Even in the candle light, the blush on James’ face was apparent. “Yeah, I hope you like it. I thought it would look nice on you.”

Cristiano smiled. “Thank you. I like it a lot. It’s a nice color.”

James nodded. “I picked red because it made me think of your kit that you wear with Portugal.”

Then it clicked.

The yellow box with red and blue ribbon was reminiscent of the Colombian flag. The line about being tongue-tied was because of James’ stutter that he still had when he got nervous. Everything made sense. “You?”

James looked worried. “Me what? Are you disappointed?”

“No, no!” Cristiano motioned with his hands. “The gift box was like the Colombian flag. How did I not recognize that?”

James shrugged. “I guess I wanted to give you a hint. But I didn’t want it to be obvious.”

“Well you did a good job.” Cristiano touched one of the rose petals, the softness of it feeling like a cloud in his hands. The candle in the middle gave off a low light and Cristiano looked at James for what truly felt like the first time. Yeah, it was obvious that James was good-looking, but Cristiano looked more closely and realized that James was more than handsome. It wasn’t a boyish charm he had, but a man’s suavity. The cheeks that Cristiano had always seen as chubby were now firm and highlighted James’ cheekbones. His smile once seemed naïve but know it seems knowing in a quiet manner. It was like James had suddenly become a man in Cristiano’s eyes.

Cristiano, feeling warmer than usual, especially with James’ eyes on him, reached over and grabbed the sparkling water bottle. He poured himself a hefty amount and offered James some, with the latter accepting. The bottle was cold on his lips and Cristiano closed his eyes. He had never been this nervous. He was friends with James, good friends might he add, but this was different.

It was like…. A date.

“Happy birthday,” James said shyly. “I hope you’ve had a good one.”

“Thanks, I have. This is probably the biggest surprise I’ve had in a while.”

James pursed his lips. “You don’t like being here? Were you expecting someone else?”

“I didn’t know what to expect. I’m glad it’s you though,” Cristiano admitted.

James sighed. “I was worried that you regretted coming.”

“I don’t! It’s my birthday; of course I want to have a good time. I just have some questions.”

James’ eyebrows shot up. “What kind of questions?”

Cristiano leaned forward putting his elbows on the table. “Why didn’t you ask me in person?” he asked with a slight smile. “It’s not like I’m going to bite.”

“You know how my stutter can be,” James sighed. “Sometimes it’s there and sometimes it isn’t. I practiced asking you in my head dozens of times, but I knew my tongue would get in the way. I hope you don’t think I was hiding or anything. I was just so nervous. You can be intimidating, you know?”

Cristiano scoffed. “Me? Intimidating?”

James laughed. “Just a little.”

Any awkwardness or tenseness left and Cristiano felt at ease. Cristiano had hung out with James before, but this time felt special. After they had eaten their meal, Cristiano cleared his throat.

“Do you like me?”

The corner of James’ lips twitched. “Is it obvious?”

Cristiano clapped his hands. “It wasn’t, but I’m glad I know now.” He laughed. “I can’t believe this. How long have you liked me, James?”

James looked embarrassed. “The moment I saw you,” he said feebly. “I know that sounds really lame, but it’s the truth. I grew up watching you play futbol and then when I joined the team, it was so surreal. You were everything and more. And the fact that we’re friends.. the fact that you know who I am..” James rambled. “This is still unreal to me.”

Cristiano reached over and pinched James. “It’s real,” he winked.

James rubbed the spot tenderly. “Can I ask you something?” he questioned, eyes on the table.

“Shoot.”

“Do you like me?”

Cristiano bit his lip. He did like James. He always considered him a friend, but that’s because he never thought of James as a man. He was always a boy to him. Now things were different. He wished James would have asked him out earlier. “Honestly, yes. If you would have asked me yesterday, I probably would have said no. But now that we’re here together, I really like this. I really like you, James.”

A sparkling smile took over James’ face. “I’m really happy right now.”

“Me too. This is the best birthday I’ve had in a while.”

James gasped. “Speaking of birthdays, here.” He reached under the table and pulled out another box, this one plain black. “I can’t believe I forgot this.”

“James, I can’t.” Cristiano motioned to his tie and the table. “You’ve already done so much.”

“Please, it’s not much, I promise.”

Cristiano took the box and lifted the lid. Inside was a picture frame with a picture of James and Cristiano. Cristiano smiled at the memory in the picture. It as a picture of them during training. He and James had been goofing around the whole time, only passing the ball to each other and shouting ‘siuuuu’ when someone tried talking to them. Zidane had shaken his head disapprovingly at them, but neither James nor Cristiano cared. Marcelo had laughed at them the whole training and he must have snapped the picture of them, because Cristiano didn’t remember taking it. “I love it,” he said softly

“I’m glad you like it. It’s not much, but I thought tonight was the best time to give it to you. Tomorrow is your party and I didn’t want you to be embarrassed by it.”

“Embarrassed? Why would I be embarrassed? It’s sweet. You’re sweet, James.” 

“I have another present for you.”

“James, no, I can’t.”

James insisted. “Please!”

“Okay.”

“Close your eyes.”

Cristiano closed his eyes. He felt the table being pushed slightly and before he knew it, something was in his lap. It wasn’t just something, it was someone, and that someone was James.

“Keep your eyes closed!”

Cristiano continued, feeling confused. It wasn’t until he felt James’ soft lips on his when his eyes shot open. He immediately closed them, focusing on the sensation. James’ lips moved pliantly with his, making Cristiano flush. Cristiano just put his arm around James’ waist when the latter pulled away.

“Happy birthday Cristiano,” he whispered in his ear.

Cristiano tightened his grip. “My birthday has just begun,” he said before kissing James again. 

_And I never want it to end_ , he thought. If the rest of his birthdays and the rest of his days consisted of kissing James, then Cristiano was more than okay with that.

**Author's Note:**

> happy birthday to the king, cris <3


End file.
